Penelope moved to quietly sit down next to Kip. The young woman looked up at her but said nothing, merely shifting her gaze away looking as conflicted as Penelope felt. The knight shifted uncomfortably, unsure where to start. “Hartley said you needed some time to think so... what are you thinking?” She asked in a soft voice. Her gaze was sympathetic as she looked over at the blonde. 

“I’m confused..” Kip admitted with a small frown. “I waited so long for him.. I thought-I thought that when we finally met again that we’d be able to settle down and have a nice normal life.. maybe even have some children at some point..” She gave a bashful look at the mention of kids and toyed with the sleeve of her dress. “But.. now it seems like that’s impossible. If he’s a thief, he can’t settle down.. Not without risking his own capture.”

Penelope nodded her head in agreement. It seemed her and Kip shared some similar worries. 

“You’re right.” The knight said. “That probably is impossible. So what you need to decide is what is more important to you.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean you need to decide if having a stable life is more important to you than being with Hartley.” Penelope explained. Her eyes briefly drifted towards Crow before focusing back on Kip. “I won’t lie. A life with the thief means that you’ll probably have to move from town to town. There’s the risk of him getting captured or killed. And I don’t even know how raising children would work..” Penelope frowned, clearly having thought about some of these things before, and watched as Kip seemed to deflate slightly at her words. 

“But if you can’t see yourself settling down with anyone else... Or if the pain of missing him out-weighs everything else, then-then you should just be with him. You guys can figure out the details as you go but what matters is that you’re with the person you love the most.” Penelope said with a certainty she had been missing for a while now.  

Kip blinked then giggled at the knight, suddenly brightening up. Penelope looked at her with a startled and confused gaze. “What?

“Well.. It just seems that you’re talking more to yourself than to me.” Kip said with a knowing smirk. Penelope’s face flushed a bright pink. Finally speaking about everything that had been weighing down on her suddenly made things more clear as she applied her own words to her own situation. [i]I guess she’s right...[/i] Penelope glanced over towards Crow again and then quickly averted her gaze. 

Kip’s gaze softened and she reached out to place a hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “But thank you. I think I get it now.. And I think I know what I want.”

“Well.. What’s the verdict?”

“I can’t see myself with anyone but him.. I mean, I waited this long and I don’t want to lose him again.” Kip said, a rosy blush appearing on her cheeks. 

Penelope smiled, feeling a little relieved. She had still been worried for Hartley despite having dealt with some of her own problems. Knowing that Kip was willing to accept him gave the knight a small glimmer of hope. [i]If they can be together... then maybe we can too...[/i] She thought biting her lip nervously. [i]If he feels the same that is..[/i]

“Come on. We probably shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.” Kip said rising to her feet. Penelope tried to suppress a smile as she noticed a newfound confidence in the young girl. She wished that she shared it. Even though she had come to a conclusion, she was still wracked with worry at what Crow would think. The knight even wondered if she could find the courage to bring it up to him. 

“Yeah..” Penelope said as she rose to her feet and headed back over to the two thieves alongside Kip. Kip became a bit bashful once more as she moved up to Hartley, who was noticeably still nervous. He looked at her with expectant and worried eyes. 

“L-Let’s go talk somewhere...” Kip told him as she gently grabbed his hand. She shot a grateful look towards Penelope and headed off with Hartley to find a more private place to speak. 

Penelope watched them go before turning to face Crow. She felt her stomach churn anxiously as she thought about what to say. “Well, I think things are going to work out for them..” She said with a small smile.